Is Your Phone Ruining Your Posture?

Experts say texting and emailing in the wrong position could be a major cause of neck pain and headaches.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

000

Physical therapists, chiropractors and orthopedic surgeons all over the country are seeing more neck and back issues on patients than ever before. The culprit: Their cell phones — or other i-devices. Experts say the condition, now known as “text neck,” results from the poor posture that comes from holding phones too low while texting and emailing. Many are experiencing pain, muscle spasms and even stress headaches.

The fix? Raise it up, people. “I call it 'iContact,'” says Luke Bongiorno, managing director of New York SportsMed & Physical Therapy. “You should hold your phone up at your eye line because it automatically puts your head in proper postural positioning so there’s no strain on the neck muscles and it forces your abs to engage to keep your core tight.”

And it’s a low brainpower solution. “It’s much easier to remember to do it if you have a simple visual. You don’t have to say to yourself, ‘is my stomach in? head up?’ It’s too many things to think about.” We all have enough on our minds.